Five Feared Drivers from Formula One History

In 1950, at the first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, it was Team Alfa Romeo’s Nino Farina who became the first F1 champion. In the 64 years since, there are a total of 32 F1 champions. Of course, several of which have won multiple championships, with Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio being the most successful drivers in F1 history, winning seven and five championships respectively.

However, not all F1 drivers who were as talented as (or even more talented than) Schumacher or Fangio were as fortunate to be able to accomplish so much and retire as heroes. Some died in fatal crashes at their peak, some raced in the era of having too many dominant drivers to compete with, some had teams with inferior cars, and some were just born in the wrong time.

All these reasons may sound like excuses, but let’s look at the first WDC champion Nino Farina as an example. Before F1 existed, Farina was the Italian Drivers’ Champion three years in a row from 1937 to 1939. He then went on to win his first major race at the 1940 Tripoli Grand Prix in Libya. Sadly, while the Italian was at his peak in driving, the outbreak of World War II prevented him from entering another major race until eight years later. Because of these reasons, our list of feared F1 drivers does not necessarily go by the number of championships each individual has won.

5) Jackie Stewart

Sir John Young Stewart, nicknamed The Flying Scot, was known for his exceptional driving skills in the dry and wet. The year after his dominant win in F3, he signed with BRM alongside Graham Hill. But it wasn’t until he signed with Marta in 1968 that his F1 career started to blossom. In the same year, Stewart was forced to miss two races due to an F2 injury, causing him to lose the 1968 F1 World Drivers’ title to Hill. He then went on to win the WDC next year, and two more in the in 1971 and 1973 with Tyrrell.

4) Alain Prost

Alain Prost is the first French, and the only French to this date, to have won an F1 World Drivers’ Championship. He held the record of having the most Grand Prix victories from 1987 to 2001. Prost raced in the years of having many champions as teammates and opponents. In the late 80s to early 90s, he formed strong rivalries with Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell. But it was his battles with Senna that were particularly notable and exciting to watch. During his 13 years in F1 racing, Prost beat nearly all his teammates on total points season by season, including five World Champions.

3) Juan Manuel Fangio

Juan-Manuel Fangio was the most dominant driver in the 50s. In his eight years of F1 career, he has won WDC five times and finished second place twice. He is known to have the ability to win a race with any car. During his time, one could only rely on their raw driving skills when safety gear and electronic driver aids such as ABS, active suspension, and traction control were not available. Although his record for winning five championships was surpassed by Schumacher in 2003, his race winning percentage of 47% remains the highest even to this date.

2) Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of F1. He was known for his qualifying speed and aggressive driving style. He held the record for most pole positions, but was later surpassed by Schumacher in 2006 with just three more after a whopping 87 more starts. As mentioned earlier, Senna shared an intense rivalry with Alain Prost, and is probably the worst in F1 history. Since 1988 when their rivalry started, their competitions went so fierce that the two could only see each other on the track. Both would either block each other from advancing using dangerous maneuvers or intentionally crashed into each other. In 1989, he lost to Prost after a championship-deciding collision, but immediately got his revenge next year after another championship-deciding collision. Despite all the controversies between the two, both had had mutual respect for each other. In 1994, while he was leading the race, Senna lost his life as his car left the track at high speed and hit the concrete retaining wall at around 135 mph.

1) Jim Clark

Without a doubt, Jim Clark is the most badass F1 driver ever. He was a handsome and talented man admired by millions of fans and drivers all over the world. With only 72 starts, he managed to achieve 25 victories and 33 pole positions. Clark was the most dominant driver in his era. His most memorable performance is the Italian Grand Prix in 1967, where he lost a lap after a tire punctured while he was leading the race. After rejoining sixteenth, he eventually caught up and took the lead again in the last lap, but finished third after his car ran out of fuel. Like Senna, Clark’s life tragically ended at the peak of his brilliant racing career.